


The Masked Detective (Rewrite!!)

by Ghosty_boo



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Death, F/M, Fluff, Gay, Gizmo - Freeform, M/M, McDonald's, Murder, Murder Mystery, Other, Salvis, lol, obviously, sallyface
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:36:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27642857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghosty_boo/pseuds/Ghosty_boo
Summary: Sal Fisher is a detective for a few reasons; one of those is that he is in the hope of avenging his mother and father as well as his disfigured face. He's chasing his parent's killer blindly with very little leads on who it is.Travis Phelps is a Detective too, partnering up with Sal all the time.He struggles with his feelings and has a few big secrets he can't tell anyone, or everything will crumble and shatter around him.But what would happen, if he did tell someone? Someone he loved dearly?// I can't write summaries and I will reiterate this all the time until I die.\\
Relationships: Ashley Campbell/Larry Johnson, Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps, Todd Morrison/Neil, Travis Phelps/Phillip
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to re-write this fanfiction as I'm not all that satisfied with how I have been doing, and I can only hope I have improved some!!  
> I would also like to apologize for anyone who had the opportunity to read this and or the book before this, before I realized my mistake.  
> I do not know why but my brain really stuck with writing Chad, instead of CJ through the first few chapters and I am sorry for any confusion that may have caused and I will be fixing it shortly.

Door's closing, not creaking at all, just closed with a satisfying crisp  
click. Fingers typing away at keyboards, clicking on files of hundreds of people, looking for criminals, and more information about victims.  
The sound of phones ringing then being answered quickly.

Footsteps, heavy and light, clacking against the cold, clean  
tile floors. Handcuffs rattling, the faint sounds of people being  
questioned in the rooms nearby.  
The occasional crinkling of snack bags from officers on a break. Blinds being opened and closed...opened and closed...and opened and closed again.  
What the hell?  
Detective Sal Fisher shot his head up from his desk, arms crossed and numb. His aqua-blue hair falling in front of his face a bit.  
He had fallen asleep working for days straight again, only to be  
disrupted by the stupid shuttering blinds noise and the sun poking through them, shining right in his one eye. He could see specks of dust and dander sparkling in the sun.

" Detective Fisher, get your ass up!" Called a voice, raspy and  
serious-sounding, though it had a teasing, friendly tone. 

Sal looked over to see the one and only Lieutenant Johnson, leaving the blinds open now. Lieutenant Johnson was tall, around 6'1, and he was very fit and tone. A man with good looks, abs, dark chocolate brown eyes, clean cut stubble, a piercing here and there. He wasn't supposed to be wearing them, but he got away with it anyway.  
A few scars could be seen on his arms since his sleeves were rolled up. He was a brunette with long hair, though his hair was up right now.  
His name was Larry. (Much to his disliking, it in full was Laurence.)  
Sal gave a thumbs up and sat up in his chair, swiveling in it for a  
moment. " Alright, Alright, I'm up! Sorry!"  
The two men had known each other for a long time, taking up the same sort of career for their own different reasons, but also to support each other—both sharing somewhat similar traumatic events.

"I'm just screwing with you, Sally, for the most part anyway. You do have to get back to work soon, though."

"I know, but uh! I just finished this documentation actually, I'll send it in soon. Are there any new cases up for grabs?"  
Detective Fisher shuffled a few papers he had at his desk and slipped them in a file, paper clipping it shut.

He was exhausted, but the hope for a new case was what kept him going. Lord knows that if he got a case, all his energy would be back again, and his adrenaline would be pulsating through his veins. That and he wouldn't want to rest until he solved it.

"Not that I know of. Why don't you go help in forensics? Phelp's and Morrison are in there. I have no idea what they're doing, and to be totally honest, I think they're just screwing around...I don't want to deal with it. So you can, because it's too early for this-" The brunette complained, massaging circles into his temple.

Sal snickered slightly; the thought of two of the most serious people he knew screwing around because there was nothing to do, was quite amusing to him.  
Well, he'd just have to wait and see.  
The bluenette got up and started his way to one of the forensics labs'.

Just before he got to the door, he could hear people talking, and then they came out through the door. Well, one person did; it was Detective Phelps. A tall man, right around Lieutenant Johnson's height, maybe taller.

He had strawberry blonde hair (though it was a bit whiter than that): side-parted, tan olive skin, very dark brown eyes, almost black, really. Slight stubbly chin and a killer smile, though it wasn't seen often. He was pretty fit and chiseled underneath his button-up and plum-colored vest. Sal hadn't even figured out if he liked that vest or not, be he sure as hell knew he liked what was underneath it. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, including himself. That would be unprofessional. 

Travis scoffed slightly, trying not to bump into the way smaller male, "Ah, Jesus Sal, watch out-."

"Sorry! I didn't know you were comin out!"

The blonde rolled his eyes, making a slight tsk sound.  
"Conveniently, you're here actually, which is good. We just got a new case. A suspected murder in Addison apartments-"

"Oh damn, no way-"  
Sal had lived there for a few years with Lisa and Larry before moving into a small duplex. He swore those apartments were haunted, even did some ghost hunting there, made some of his best friends doing so too.  
Murder in his childhood home, how fun but creepy was that going to be to solve? Well, he would find out soon.

"Yes, way- now let's go! Todd just left through the back and is getting a head start."

"Okay, okay!"  
Something sparked in Sal; it was the adrenaline for a new case. He never knew if it was from anger or hope or some weird excitement, but it was there, filling his body up drip by drip, making his chest tingle. 

The two detectives often worked together; it was more efficient and fast. They were very successful in all their works...well, all except one. One that has eaten at Sal ever since he was four.  
Leaving the precinct and getting into Travis's black Saab, they drove off to the creepy apartments, ready to solve this case.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two detectives arrive at the crime scene, ready to bring in their first suspect for questioning.

Detective Fisher and Detective Phelps arrived at the scene, three floors up in the bathroom of a somewhat disorganized and spacious apartment.  
Todd Morrison, one of the best forensic scientists, had arrived just a few minutes before the Detectives did.  
The guy was a total science nerd and was super smart. He had one of the most stereotypical pair of nerd glasses, black and circular. He had short curly ginger hair, average height, and some stubble (much like almost everyone else).  
Morrison had a dad bod, and you could see his wedding band's shape through the gloves he was wearing. He and Sal had also known each other for some time.   
"Victim, Azaria Devereux. She's a barista at a Local Cafe. She has a large bump on the head where a chunk of hair is missing, showing she was being pulled around, and her broken nails show she was struggling. Severe burn marks on her hands from what looks to be an iron... she also has this odd sewed up wound on her back from which I believe was some sort of personal enjoyment or perhaps guilt. It's definitely not done by a medical professional, and by her smell and slight decomposition starting, it has been about three days since her death." 

Sal nodded, putting on a pair of blue latex gloves, handing Travis a pair as well. Detective Phelps thanked Sal with a nod then went off to talk to some officers and the person who found the body. 

The bluenette walked over to Azaria's lifeless body and knelt; he turned her over gently to look at the stitching job. It wasn't that bad, just sloppy around the edges. Moving his eyes towards her burns, he swore the ones on her hands seemed almost self-inflicted, but that couldn't have been possible...

"The burns look like she did them, don't they?" Todd asked, towering over the detective.

"Well, yeah. But I know she sure as hell couldn't have done it herself." 

The ginger nodded, collecting dirt and grime from under Azaria's nails.   
"Right, because she would have had one unhandy hand-" It was a terrible time for a pun, unintentional or not. 

There was a quiet snicker that turned into a low chuckle. Travis had come back just in time for the terrible pun. Todd himself was biting his lip to contain a smirk. 

Sal glared at the both of them, though he had to fight a smile (not that it could be seen anyway). "Really? Guys, come on, you know I love puns. but that was too soon, pretty disrespectful too."

Travis rolled his eyes a tad. " Sorry, not sorry."

" I had to do it; I was handed the opportunity-"

"Todd!!"

"Okay! I'll stop!"  
Travis let out a cackle, having to cover his mouth, earning a few discouraged looks from others around. "I'm terrible, aren't I??"

Todd nodded, a small smile gracing his face.  
Sal stood up, shaking his head in disbelief. His coworkers and friends could get so carried away sometimes in the worst situations, he didn't know whether to love it or hate it.  
" You're not terrible, just an asshole sometimes. Todd too-"   
The scientist gasped, making Sal snicker.  
"Aaanyway, who found the body?"

" Robert Silva, he found the body this morning, laying at the bottom of the tub. He's waiting to be questioned; he is our prime suspect and only suspects for the moment. We'll need to take him to the station after some further investigation here." Travis said, playing with the band on his gloves, a habit he had developed over the years.  
Robert had been staring at Sal, looking away when he had noticed. Perhaps it was his prosthetic; it often caught the attention of others. It was odd and challenging being a detective with a fake face on all the time, lots repeatedly disrespecting Sal or not taking him seriously. It had been tough for him to get into the field of work, too, having to explain his condition and issues to many people just for them not to be suspicious or scared. 

"Okay then, thank you, blondie."

" No problem Salio."  
Todd smirked. "Oh, I see spending time with Neil has been rubbing off on you, Travis. Stealing nicknames now, are we?"

The tall blonde puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "I-" he had been caught in truth full of teasing. "You shush. We have to look around here and do work-!"

Sal and the ginger quietly giggled and walked off in different directions.  
Everyone had split up, looking for clues and evidence, anything that could help.   
They dusted for fingerprints on an iron in the bathroom, nothing but something smudged and the victim's prints. Perhaps someone was wearing gloves.   
There were two bedrooms in the apartment; one looked to be more of an office, though. Besides for the bathroom and the whole apartment is a bit disorganized (which was questionable because perhaps someone was looking for something and killed Azaria for it). Or maybe Azaria was just a messy person.)  
The place was clear, nothing suspicious anywhere except for the bathroom.

Sal noticed something interesting though, in the office had been a pair of fancy gloves very hectically thrown onto the desk. He had gotten an idea. Taking a print of the weird smudge and bagging the gloves. He sent them together to evidence, just to see if the material and pattern matched. 

Detective Fisher got to thinking as he stared at the desk.  
That stitched wound...maybe she was stabbed, and everything else on her might have been done after, just as a distraction from it. Maybe she did get medical work done, just by someone terrible at their job. A manic attack? Had she gone crazy and killed herself? He hadn't known, so his thoughts just kept spinning.

Sal was cut from his thinking by Travis tapping on his shoulder. "You okay there?"  
The bluenette shook his haze away and nodded. "Yeah, uh, yeah, Im fine."

"Alright then, let's get going; we have some questioning to do."

"Gotcha, almost forgot about that, heh."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yep, just tired!"

"Want coffee when we get back?"

" Ew! Nope! No thanks! Never having that again, let's get going, shall we??"

Sal got up quickly ( Coffee was a weird thing to discuss for him, and he hated it, so he wanted to avoid it at all costs). He went over to Robert, placing some handcuffs on him. You couldn't ever be too careful, right?  
Travis chuckled at Sal's polite protest to the coffee and followed after him shortly.

After being cuffed and put in the car, Sal and Travis joined Robert, driving off to the station. Before they left, they were told to be a bit smart around Robert; he had a few things on his criminal record (not that they really suggested murder)and was said to not talk too much.  
Sal started questioning everything again on the drive back, and the thought of coffee made his stomach turn, so he rolled the window down, sighing. Letting the air take his disgust away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two detectives interview the first suspect, leaving them with a new lead to follow.

The sound of metal scraping tile rang through the room as chairs were pulled out.  
This room was rather dark, despite there being a long ceiling lamp, and one wall was almost all completely glass, letting some light in from the rest of the building.

Detective Fisher sat in one chair while Detective Phelps sat beside him; across the two was Robert Silva. Suspect for the death of Azaria Devereaux.

He was fairly tall, on the skinny side. He had red hair, which was kept in a very small ponytail. He most likely kept it up in a mohawk, but today it was down for whatever reason. One or more piercings were on every place on his face. 

There was some slight tension in the air; they could feel it lingering, tingling at their sides. Though Travis and Sal were used to that feeling by now, it still made them a tiny bit uneasy at times. 

"Where have you been these past three days?"  
Sal asked, folding his arms on the table. Questioning mode had been activated. 

" home."

"Do you have proof of that? Someone who can confirm that?" 

"No." 

"You are aware that that's not helping your case in any way-. " 

Robert stayed quiet, slouching in his chair. 

"Why did you go over to Azaria's apartment?"

"To check on her."

Travis cut in. "Why did you need to check on her?"

"I had my reasons."

The blonde sighed through his nose quietly. "What were those reasons?"

Robert squeezed his hands into fists, looking down at the metal table beneath his face.  
"Look. I know you think I killed Azaria, but I didnt. I had no reason to. I loved her! Why would I kill someone I love?!"

Travis went quiet for a moment, Sal already taking that as his cue to speak.

"An excellent question Mr. Silva, but I have an answer for you. Love makes people do strange things, sometimes terrible things if you will. Sometimes... people kill for the ones they love, and others kill the ones they love for very selfish reasons." 

Sal sat up in his chair more, leaning back, and cracked his wrists. "So I'll ask again, why did you check in on Azaria. Why did you visit her? And before you answer, I highly recommend you cooperate if you really did love her and had nothing to do with this. This whole silent act isn't doing anything good for either of us." 

He stopped himself before he could ramble on and on. It was a bad habit he was trying to break. 

The red-haired man was silent for a moment, processing what was said. He cracked eventually. 

"Two days ago, we were going to go out on a date. She had told me she was going to tell me when I could come to pick her up." he paused, almost as if holding back a shudder.

" But I never heard from her, so I took it as she stood me up and decided to give her space just in case I did anything wrong. After a while, I realized she wouldn't just do that. So I got worried and ended up checking on her this morning...when I got there, she was dead..." 

"Alright then, Robert- do you know of anyone that might have wanted to do this to Azaria...?" 

He shook his head. "No, not that I know of..but her roommate might, they were close, best friends. You can ask her."

" Okay, I'm going to need her name."

" It's Sierra, Sierra Hall."  
" Okay...do you know where she could be? She wasn't home when we checked the scene."

" Probably with CJ, at the local library or her work, 50 shades of coffee."  
Travis snickered at the name of the cafe, slightly nudging Sal.

Sal rolled his eye.  
"Got it, thank you so much. We'll be keeping in touch."

With that, the detectives left, ready to follow their new lead. Hopefully, it would get them somewhere, and hopefully, Sierra would help them out.

While in the car, Sal got on his phone. "Alright, I know what will make this easier."

"And what's that?" Travis asked. He was chewing on some gum, clicking it occasionally. Sal used to hate that, but now the clicks were kind of nice to hear, reassuring, homey if you will. It kept him grounded in a sort.  
It was just something familiar and nice now. It's weird how the smallest oddest little things can help you remain calm and at peace, even if you don't think you need that at the moment. 

"I'm going to call her work, see if she's there. Then the library. And. Before we left, I did a quick check on CJ, so I know where he lives now. So we can go there if we need to."

Travis smiled slightly. Even if it was just part of the job, he admired how efficient, quick working, and thoughtful Sal was. 

"Well then, go ahead, detective, make your calls. I promise not to disturb you."

"Auuh, huh. Alright." 

Shaking his head Sal started dialing the numbers, calling the coffee shop first.

A man answered the phone;  
"50 shades of coffee. This is Luke speaking; how can I help you?" 

"Hello, Luke! I was wondering if Sierra Hall is in for work today?"

Sal always got a little awkward and tense when calling people he didn't know. He was used to face to face (more so Face to mask) conversations. He didnt like the fact that he couldn't see who he was talking to or see what they were doing. It was weird.

There was a slight pause. A boss concerned for their employee's safety, in thought.  
"Who wants to know?" 

"Detective Fisher, I work for the Nockfell Police Department."

"Detective, eh?"

"Yes, siir."

Not wanting to get into all the details and whatnot of the case, Luke spoke.  
"Well then- she was working today but just left recently." he was messing around with a cup or mug, most likely twirling it around.  
Sal could hear the ceramic rolling around on a counter. 

"Auh, well, do you happen to know where she went too? Maybe just home, possibly?"

"I don't think she's home; she left with a tall blonde fella, believe they're going to a library or somethin'."

"Okay, thank you."

"not a problem- bye."

"goodbye!"

Sal booped the small red button on his screen and sighed.  
"We're going to the Library!"

" Which one?"

" Hmmm, well, I dont know Travis....maybe the only one in town?!"

"first of all, We live in a CITY, and second, I don't need your sarcasm." Travis started to drive, only to be immediately stopped at a dreaded red light.

"City and towns are the same things-" Sal said, looking out the window.

"no, they aren't."

"they are!"

"Agree to disagree?"

"Fine, but you're googling it when you get home." 

" Yeah yeah, whatever."

Travis smirked. "Anyway, the case. Think, Robert did it?"

"Well, I'm almost a hundred percent sure Robert is innocent, even though he has no alibi. So that leaves Sierra since she's our only lead, but we don't have any evidence or proof of her whereabouts. She doesn't have a motive yet- plus she can have information for us...so it could be anyone..."

"Well, whoever it is, we'll find them, we always do."

" Almost always-" The bluenette muttered, poking at the window.

Travis huffed, knowing exactly what Sal was talking about. His parents.  
"Sally, don't you dare start! and don't you dare get sad and shit!"

"but it's been twenty-three years, Trav!"

"I swear to god I will turn this car around so we can talk!"

" No, you won't! We have work to do; just ignore what I said!!"

"Fine!"

There was an awkward moment of silence between the two; the sound of tires rolling on the road filled the quietness.

Sal flicked the side of his mask.  
". . .I'm sorry."

Travis sighed and shook his head.

"Noo, it's fine. I know how important these cases are for you- and I know that not being able to catch onto something right away like normal.. is especially difficult-- considering your uh, thing-"

Sal couldn't help but laugh a little. "My thing? You mean the trauma things, right?"

The blonde puffed his cheeks out for a second.  
"Well yeah, no shit Sherlock!"

" Then why didn't you say thaaat?"

" I don't know!"

Sal rolled his eye(s) and chuckled again. " You're allowed to say that word ya know; it's not bad-"

" I knooow! I just feel awk..ward.."

"I can understand that- but still-"

"Hnn, yeah I know, just hush-"  
Travis gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter; Sal noticed it and gasped. 

" You feel kinda bad for me, don't you!?"

" NOO!"

" You softie! You care about my brain!!" 

" SHUUUT UP, LOOK! We're here!!!!"

The library in Nockfell wasn't small, but it wasn't anything completely grand either. It was two stories tall, had large windows in front, some being partially covered by some bushes, small trees, and a few very tall flowers. Its bottom half was made of dark-colored bricks; then the rest was beautiful mahogany. From looking inside, there could be seen bookshelves lined with hundreds of books—all labeled by category on a sign above each shelf. Each filled with so many great works by even more great authors. 

Sal could practically smell the old paper and the new book aroma, just from seeing what he could from the car.  
He was a bookworm, and being around all the books put him at ease and made him happy, even during this terrible event.  
He often visited this library whenever he had the chance—even stopping at the cafe inside and getting a peppermint hot chocolate accompanied by a straw for more comfortable drinking. Occasionally he'd get a baked good if there weren't many people around. 

"I love this place...Ahem! Anyway, we will continue this conversation later!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just go-!" Travis got out of the car, keys in hand, locking and unlocking it a few times with Sal inside.  
He could tell his partner was scowling beneath his prosthesis; he also flipped him off.  
That in itself was enough to make the blonde chuckle to himself and unlock the doors.  
" R u d e!"

"You know you love me~."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travis and Sal talk to Sierra about her friends death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY, THIS WHOLE TIME IVE BEEN WRITING "Chad" BUT I MEANT CJ, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
> ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚  
> My brain is so dysfunctional, hjdkfnjnmskdmzd  
> Please enjoy this anyway, I'm trying to go back and fix my mistakes!!!  
> xoxo  
> Ro

The blonde and the Bluenette walked inside the library; it was quiet but not a deafening silence. There was the clicking of laptops and the smooth turning of book pages, whispering of children and adults alike, and of course, the steps of people walking from place to place.

"Well...where do we even start? I've never been here before-" Travis admitted, looking around at everything.

"Wow, really??"

"Yeah-"

"I come here whenever I get the chance!" Sal whispered, with a cheery tone.

" I figured you did. You're a book worm."

"Not really-"

"Say that to all your Shakespeare and giant Stephen King books-"

"I- you- shush-"

The blonde smirked smugly. "No- anyway, where to first?"

"Well, I dont think she's on the first floor since we can't see her- Sooo, the second floor. There's a nice lounge area up there too, which would be a good place to be since she's with someone." 

"I got ya, that makes sense."

The two went up to the second floor, all the way to the lounge area.

Upstairs was nice; all the walls filled to the brim with books, old and new. Hardcovers, softcovers, Novels, manga, different series, it was all so magical.  
"Oh! She's over there-!" Sal whisper-yelled, pointing at a girl with long brown hair up in a ponytail; she was wearing a pink hoodie with many little skeletons on it. 

Travis nodded and walked to Sierra, his shorter partner once again, and as always, followed after him.

"Sierra Hall? We're going to have to speak with you." Sal spoke, his voice still quiet, trying to be respectful of others around. He didn't have to talk much softer than he usually did. His voice had already been quite deep (which sometimes surprised people, especially with his appearance), and with a prosthetic over him and having a slight lisp, it was muffled. 

The brunette turned her attention away from her laptop and to the detectives.   
"Oh sure...but who are you and why?" 

"I am Detective Fisher, and that's my partner Detective Phelps; we're here about the murder of your roommate Azaria..."

A blonde wearing a purple hoodie, sitting in a wheelchair, shot up from where he had been resting his head. " She was murdered?!?!" 

Various people all turned their attention to where the four were.

" CJ, not so loud!" Sierra scolded, immediately making him shut up.  
"I- yes, she was...maybe we should take this outside? Maybe both of you should come-?" Travis suggested, already feeling a bit awkward. 

Azaria already had tears swelling up in her eyes, and she nodded.   
" Y-yeah, let's go outside.." She said, folding up her laptop and securing it away in her laptop case. She also picked up a few books that had been marked with a fancy lace cloth. It was very aesthetically pleasing. 

Chad was already heading out; he was visibly distraught.   
Sierra and the detectives quickly chased after him.

Once they were outside, Sierra sat down on a bench next to CJ while Sal and Travis stood in front of them.

" So...as you know, your dear friend has passed away as of being murdered. We're here to see if you know anything that could help us solve her case." Travis spoke calmly.

"W-well, all I can think of right now is someone who has always acted...creepily around Azaria."

" Who is it?" Sal asked, handing Sierra a tissue to dab away her tears.   
" His name is Robert..he's always kind of watched her oddly and was kind of obsessed with her.."

Travis raised his brow slightly. " Well, we already know Robert, but we didn't know he was 'obsessed' with her...what did he do to show that?"

" He often took pictures of her randomly, and I don't think she ever noticed. Robert also acted very strangely around her, all sweaty and laughed at anything, like he was hiding something; it was bizarre.."

"Yeah! He would take pictures of the three of us at time's too!!" CJ added, he was cracking his knuckles as a stress reliever. 

"That is bizarre...though he could have been nervous since he was or wanted to be romantically involved with her-" 

Sierra looked puzzled, and she tilted her head the slightest.   
"He did?"

Travis nodded, taking note of Sal starting to think alot, he decided to speak. "Yes, he did, they had planned for a date a few days ago, but that was...obviously and unfortunately canceled-"   
The brunette grew paler, and she sunk in her seat as if she was filled with guilt about something.

Something clicked in Sal's head before Travis could ask if she was alright.   
"I think I've got an idea! It's most likely terrible, though, but it's all we've got right now!"

Travis just looked at Sal, confused; the other two did as well.

". . . We have to go! Thank you so much for your help!" Sal already started walking to the car, leaving a bewildered Travis only to ensue after him. 

"W-wha- You're welcome!! ?" Sierra and CJ yelled, also confused.

The two got in the car; Travis immediately looked at his partner.   
"!?!?What's your 'great' idea?" He asked, only to be silenced by Sal's finger. He was on the phone.

Travis couldn't lie to himself; he kind of really wanted to bite Sal's finger, to scruffle him up. Damn, he was in a weird mood today though he had not been showing it; he didn't know why.  
Travis would usually catch onto most of Sal's ideas, and he'd be paying more attention to the case. And to top it off, he'd been pretty empathetic and all that today, surprisingly.   
Something in his stomach didn't feel right.

After some antsy tapping on his phone, the person on the other line picked up.  
Travis was trying his best to listen in.  
"Yeah, uhh, Todd??"

"Yeees, Sal?"  
The ginger was back working in the lab, running tests on the dirt and things under Azaria's nails.

"I know you're busy, but do you know if Robert left yet?"

" He just did; why?"

"Damn it. I need to get to him"

"Oh?? Okay then...I think he's headed home; I can get someone to send you his address if you'd like."

" That'd be great! Thanks!"

" no problem, bud!"

With that, the call was over, and a few minutes later, Sal had been texted Robert's information.

There was a stiffening silence after that. 

"...Can I know what we're doing now??!"

"Oh!!! Shit sorry! We're going to get Robert's phone or whatever he took the pictures on and look through them. See if anything stands out or screams murder, especially if he's as creepy as Sierra and CJ said!"

" Oh. O k a y."

Travis felt a little dumb; he didn't piece that together already.   
"...can I see the address?"  
Sal nodded and showed him his phone.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome!" Sal said, putting his seat belt on. 

Travis did the same before starting the car and driving off to Roberts's home. 

Sal could tell there was a little something off with Travis, but he didn't want to be bothersome. 

"...Hey, Trav?"

"Yeah, SallyFace?" 

Sal smiled a little at that nickname, but it quickly faltered. "Are you feelin alright today?"

Fuck, he could tell. Damn Sal and his good observance.   
Travis might as well try to lie a little.   
"what? I'm perfectly fine! Why?"

Sal frowned; he frowned so hard Travis could feel it staring at him even from behind the man's prosthetic. "You just seem a little...distracted."

The blonde awkwardly shifted in his seat. "Okay, fine- I just have a bit of a headache. That's all; it's been bugging me all day."

Well, that wasn't all a lie; he did have a headache. Stupid emotions about Sal making him feel all weird and fucked up.

"Oh...well, if you need it, I've got some aspirin at work and home; I can give you some after this if you want...?"

"No, thank you, I'll be fine. Just might need to catch up on sleep, ya know?"

Sal didn't know, and he knew nothing about sleep because he rarely slept. "Yep, I gotcha!"

"Anyway, we're here, darling~!" Trav teased with the nickname a bit, trying to make things a little more lighthearted. 

" Ah, well, thank you kindly, sweetheart~!" Sal sweetly shot back.

They both laughed a bit and went to look through those photos!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't the best but I was happy to fix it up, I couldn't think of much to add so I hope it's okay!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding out the killer but then getting stumped due to location problems, our two detectives take their first break of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't change this one much, I love it a bunch the way it is.  
> :)  
> it also really made me want some french fries, lol <3  
> xoxo  
> Ro

Getting Robert's phone was pretty easy; there was no hassle or refusal at all; he even let the detectives inside to work.

The red-haired man awkwardly sat on his tattered couch, watching the two go through all his photos.

". . . Why exactly did you need my phone again?"

"Pictures," Sal said flatly, too invested in his searching now to explain.

Travis chuckled. "Yeah...Oh! I've been wondering, why do you have these pictures in the first place?...it's a little creepy."

"I guess it is- but uhh, Azaria wanted me to take pictures for her Instagram; I'd send them to her after she told me what pictures she wanted- I have texts to prove that if you need."

" Oh, that makes sense...mostly. You're kinda like her personal photographer, right?"

"You got it!"

Sal looked up from the phone, confused. "What's an Instagram?"

Both Robert and Travis gasped a little. "You don't know what Instagram is?!"

"Dude, no way!" Robert covered his mouth, holding in a laugh. 

" Whaaaat?? I don't do social media. I don't know these things!!" The bluenette said, defending himself a little.

"we're making you an account when we're done."

" But I-"

" No, buts!! Only WORK!" Travis tapped the phone to get Sal to pay attention to it again. 

"Fiiiiine, whatever you saaay," the smaller male said before going back to work.

Robert finally laughed, leaning back into the cushions. " You two are the most interesting cops ever-!" 

The blonde cracked a smile. "Thank you, we try."

Sal rolled his eye, snickering. "Auh, huh- oh. Well, that's interesting-" The bluenette zoomed in on a photo.

"What's interesting?" The blonde asked, looking over Sal's shoulder.

In the picture, Sierra and Azaria were standing side by side, arm's around each other. They were both wearing dresses: Azarias, a pine green sundress.

She had white lace gloves on.   
Sierras a burgundy halter-dress, she had some dark, lacey mesh gloves on as well.   
"Nothing much, it's just that Sierra is wearing these gloves here, and they match what was in Azaria's apartment-- the weird ripped ones."

". . . that is a little interesting...when was it taken?"

"uhh, one second." Sal quickly looked for the date, finding it after a few long seconds. "October tenth this year, so just five days ago.."

Just then, as if god himself intervened, Todd called with some information.   
Travis took the call. "Hello?"

"I just got results back from Sierra and the DNA under her nails!"  
"Gross- but keep going."

"Besides from dirt, there's blood from another person, that person's skin cells and mysterious cotton-like substances, she had quite the long nails so we could get alot of useful information. "

" Well, who's DNA is it?!... And why did it only take this long to get results? This was fast."

" It's from a Sierra Hall, and it's because I'm efficient and awesome," The ginger said; a little chuckle followed after. 

Travis sighed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever...Thank you, but we've got to go now."

"Yeah, I figured that would help. Bye!"

"bye,"

The blonde turned his phone off after hanging up. "It's Sierra; Todd found her DNA on Azaria. There was a struggle, from what I can guess, and Sierra most likely has scratches from Azaria trying to get away or something...if not, then I have no idea what we're going to do."

Sal already bolted out the door, tossing Robert his phone back. 

Robert looked at Travis, a little saddened and puzzled.

Travis gave a little shrug. "We're just doing our job...trying to find the killer- even if it sucks...so- I'm sorry for any trouble this all causes you.."

"It's fine, dude. Just do your job...bring her to justice.."

"I will-"

Sal shouted from outside.  
" TRAVIS"

The blonde groaned. "UGH, okay, I gotta go. Bye!"

Robert smiled a bit. "Goodbye, Detective"

Travis nodded and then ran outside to the car, getting in already driving to the library to see if Azaria was still there.

After about 10 minutes of driving, Azaria was sure enough gone. Where? They didn't know, and she took CJ with her.

Travis leaned his head on the steering wheel. He was exhausted, unlike Sal, he hated working every second of the day and solving a murder in one day? That was something Sal was a little good at, and it took alot of energy. Honestly, Travis didn't know where Sal got it from, nor did Sal know himself.  
All Travis knew was that he couldn't keep going; it was already a little past 11 pm. He needed a break.

"Sal." The blonde muttered, turning to the bluenette.

Uh oh. Sal knew that tone, all too well. Travis was cranky.

". . . Yeeeah?"

"We can finish this tomorrow when we have a better location-"

Oh, how he hated hearing that.

"Trav...come on...we're this close to being done!" Sal held up his thumb and pointer finger, making them almost touch. "This close!!"

Travis did the same with his hand. " and I'm THIS CLOSE to falling asleep and leaving your ass behind."

"Yeah, but there's still space, which means there's still probability for you to stay and help...besides."

Sal smirked. "You gotta love my ass, I mean seriously. It's to fabul-ass not too-"

It was silent for a moment before Travis sighed with a smile, leaning against the headrest. "I hate you so much."

"I love you too!~"

Travis sighed, defeated. "...where are we going again?"

.  
.  
.  
Fuck.

"oh shit, oh, fuck- I don't know?! Oh god, I didn't think this far!" Sal smushed his 'face.' against the car's window. He was upset with himself.

Travis looked over to Sal; aworry zipped through him for a moment.

"Hey, hey, hey!! Don't start having a mini breakdown thing!! We've got this!"

Sal groaned and made a sad airy, whiny sound.

The blonde reflexively took one of the bluenette's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "You've got this, you always doooo, this is just a little hole in our investigation! This happens alot, and you know how to get over it! So try to relax hon- Sally-"  
Travis mentally slapped and scolded himself. "Nice going, Trav; you almost said something dumb.."

Sal squeezed the others hand back and took a deep breath. "You've got a point...thank you, Trav..."

"Yea, I uh, You're welcome."  
He let go of Sal's hand, and then I patted his shoulder.

'Don't get attached. Don't get attached.' He told himself in his head.

Sal felt a little sad when Travis let go but tried to shake that away. "how about we go get some-" The shorter detective sighed in between his sentence, already knowing what was coming.

"Get some cawfee and a snack? I think that'll help both of us a little!"

Travis smirked, a very smirky smug smirk. "You said it."

"Yes, I did, now don't say it."

"I'm going to say it, Sal."

"I will hurt you."

"Ca-"

"Travis, I swear to god-"

"Cawfeeeeeeee"

Sal (as nicely as he could) slapped Travis on the shoulder. "Leave me and my accent alooone!!!!!!"

"Never!!" 

"hnnn, just drive alreeeaaady."

Travis started driving to the place closest as possible, Which just so happened to be a McDonald's. Travis ordered himself a Vanilla latte and Sal a hot chocolate.   
Being the irresponsible man child he was, Sal hadn't eaten that day, which resulted in Travis making him eat a Happy Meal.

Sitting in the safety of the warm car, outside of the McDonald's, in the parking lot was oddly pleasant.

The lights from in the building and the giant glowing M illuminated places in the darkness. The heater was on, as it was getting pretty chilly. Its quiet hum could be heard alongside the sipping of drinks and frequent little munching of french fries.

Sal had his mask lifted just enough to show a small bit of his face. Travis was, of course, trying to observe as much as he could, as it was a rare sight.   
( Tw? )

Sal had scars of all different sizes scattered everywhere, and his jaw seemed to be dented, though Travis couldn't tell that well. He has a hole on the side of his cheek that went from the under the middle of his cheekbone down to his lips, making them partially parted. His teeth could be shown through the hole. 

Travis had never seen this much of his face before; it amazed him.   
Sure he probably couldn't see that well; because it was dark, and he told himself that some of what he was seeing might have been wrong, but it was still...fascinating, to say the least. 

"Trav?"

"Yeah?"

". . . You're kinda staring-"

"OH"   
Travis looked away from Sal, his cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. "I'm sorry!" He sputtered out.

There was a breathy, slightly awkward giggle from Sal. "It's alright..." 

The blonde cleared his throat and looked back over to Sal and then to his drink.  
They didn't say anything to each other after that, and they just enjoyed the quiet for a while.

But a question was burning at Travis, and he couldn't ignore it any longer.  
"Saaally?" He asked, focusing on his cup, not wanting to be that awkward. 

"Yes, siir?"  
Sal's voice was much softer and quieter now.

". . . Do you think I'll ever, you know- see your face? Like, all of it?"

Sal thought for a moment. "Maybe. I mean, I'd love to be that comfortable. And I am, with you anyway...just not with myself, ya know?"

Travis nodded; he could understand that.

"I just don't want you to think differently of me...or even be scared..."

"Well, I'll tell you this...I don't think I could ever think of you differently, just by what you look like. AND. I'm a homicide detective, for god's sake; I think your face would be the least scary thing I've ever seen. You might even be cute. I don't know."   
He held his coffee up to his mouth, not drinking it but just breathing in the aroma. 

"heh, well, that makes me feel a little better about all of that...Thank you"

Travis smiled slightly, feeling happy that he made Sal feel better, even if it was just a little bit.   
He turned to the bluenette.  
"You're welcome, Sal--" he paused. 

Sal was sleeping. His leg's tucked together; he was curled up, leaning against the door. He had even taken off his blazer, using it as a cushion for his arm.

Travis couldn't help himself; he grabbed his phone and took a picture of the bluenette. And, of course, he posted it to his Instagram story just to share the moment he thought was ironic and cute.  
He was playing around with some texts and star stickers.

'He said he wasn't tired, but the table has turned.'  
#sleepydetective,  
with the time, stamped on it. That was the photo. It was nice. 

Travis put his phone down, ignoring the multiple messages he had received already, and just laid back. Might as well let the blueberry sleep a little, right?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nightmare disturbs Sal, but just moments after he's awoken, he and Travis set out to go catch the killer. As they receive a distraught call from someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dsfvguhijfsd  
> Drink  
> water  
> -Ro

{{ TW!! }}

A crisp warm breeze washed over everything; the clouds were small and thin. The sky was beautiful. It was as if someone smeared the sun's golden bright rays everywhere; the sparkles of the water from a nearby river glistened in the grass.

A family just enjoying the day together, carefree without a worry in the world.

Everything was sweet, warm, and open. Free, everything felt free and at peace. But they had been unaware that past involvements would terrorize them.

BANG.   
The world grew a little darker, seeing his father tumble to the ground quickly, clutching his chest, calling out to Sal and Diane. 

Another bang, then another. The world began to blur and darken more: Red...and...darkness. 

Ringing, an airy high pitch ring, rung threw his ears.

Sal laid there now, in his mother's arms, blood trickling down his legs and her arm, starting to pool around them.

He could see her, and he could see his father not too far away either.   
He felt something warm; it wasn't the sun anymore...

He felt nothing but pain, but at the same time, everything was numb and slow. 

Sal could hear his mother's words, her voice broken and soft. "it'll be alright, Sally...I love you..."  
They echoed through his skull, over and over again as everything got darker by the second, more bitter and black until that was all that was left.

Silence now, dark, terrifying, silence.

Sal woke up with a slight jolt, hitting his head against the window.  
His face was sticky; he had been crying. 

Travis noticed that Sal woke up rather unpleasantly. ( He had heard Sal start crying and whimper once, but he didn't want to say anything just in case it embarrassed Sal. )

He turned to face him. "are you alright?"

Sal sniffled, reaching his hand up his mask to rub his eye.

"I'm uh, yeah. I'm fine, just a bad dream.."

Travis frowned a little. "...do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, fixing up the straps of his prosthesis. "I'd rather not, thank you, though."

"No problem..."  
Travis tried to think of something to say, but then he remembered.

"Oh!! I did some work while you were asleep, and uhh-" Travis clapped his hands together, trying to figure out how to talk. 

"Azaria is with Cj. At his house. He called and requested to speak with you or me; he said Azaria had been acting weird for a few days but didn't want to say anything when we went and talked to them. So he's been staying up, watching over her because he's scared-"

Sal just stared at Travis.

"Now that I explained it aloud, I realize I should have woken you up right away...huh?"

"YEAH, DUDE. WHAT THE FUCK!??!"

"I"m sorry!!!!!! I didnt want to bother you because you were finally sleeping for once and needed it!!!!! And I can tell you're more stressed than usual and needed a little break!!!"  
Travis spat out, already beginning to drive to CJ's house, not wanting to waste another minute or risk hearing a lecture from Sal.

" Okay. Well, as nice as that is- You should have woken me up no matter what!! We're dealing with M u r d e r here!!"

"I know! I know! I'm sorry!! I wasn't thinking correctly!"

Sal was fixing his hair up in a ponytail, not wanting anyone to see how messy his hair was.

" It's fine! But if this thing happens again, you wake me up, got it??"

"I got it, don't worry!"

" Okay, I won't."  
..  
..  
..

". . . You drool, by the way."

"...Excuse me?"

" In your sleep, you drool. alot."

Oh, thank god for his prosthetic; Sal blushed a bright red and coughed.

".....Well, I'm sorry...But I can't help that even if I wanted to-, and thank you for pointing out the obvious."

Now it was Travis's turn to blush. Just a tad.  
He didn't even know why he brought that up; maybe it was to get out of Sal scolding him. Of course, it was that reason; he hated being scolded or yelled at. Sure, everyone does, but Travis was scared of it due to past experiences. 

". . . Sorry."

"Awhk, it's fine.." Sal yawned. "Anyway, what time is it?"

"Three something? I'm not too sure."

"I just realized I could look at the time..."  
Travis chuckled. "I was waiting for you to notice that."

Sal rolled his eye(s) and sighed, checking the time. "3:45 am!"

"I think this is the latest I've stayed up on a Monday.." Travis admitted.

"Really??"

"Yeah-"

"Damn, what a weakling."

"excuse you, sir; I am not the one who struggled for three minutes, trying to put the straw in a Caprisun!!!"

Sal gasped. " We don't talk about that!!"

The blonde just smiled a little bit. "Alright, alright."

The two arrived at CJ's house. When they got out, they heard some scuffling from inside; immediately thinking of the worst, they went inside right away. Thankfully the door was already unlocked since CJ had told them to come right in when they got there.

" I can't believe you called them!!!!!"

CJ was in his kitchen, behind one side of a small kitchen island. Sierra on the other side. They were staring at each other; Sierra looked pissed, and she was holding a knife; it was already a bit bloodied, from old blood and new. 

CJ's hand was bleeding; it wasn't very comfortable ( Obviously). He kept pressing it against his side in hopes to slow the bleeding.

Sal and Travis drew out their guns, facing towards Sierra's back.

"PUT THE WEAPON DOWN!!"

Sierra tightened up, realizing her situation in a few seconds. She rose her hands in the air, turning around to face the detectives. Sure enough, scratches were on her arms and stomach (noticeable since she lifted her arms, her shirt rose an inch or two) like Travis had guessed.

Poor CJ looked as pale as a ghost; he was terrified and could barely move. He looked as if every ounce of trust drained from him. 

"I said, put the weapon down!!" Sal repeated, eyeing Sierra like a hawk.

CJ was slowly trying to slip away from behind Sierra, Travis keeping an eye on him and the woman herself.

She slowly started to put the knife down, but something sparked in her eyes; it wasn't a good spark either.

"We know you killed Azaria...but why? " Travis said, still waiting for CJ to move, but he was taking his sweet time; who could blame him? He just found out that one of his closest friends murder another one of his closest friends, and was just recently attacked and was now bleeding. 

Tears started to burn at her eyes, and she visibly grew angrier; her breathing became heavier, this began to concern Sal more. " I couldn't let her have him!!"

"...have who?" Travis asked, still as cautious as ever. 

"CJ!!" her voice cracked. "She was going to take CJ away from me! Azaria knew I liked him; she knew I loved him!! But she kept flirting with him, leading him farther away from me! She crossed the line Friday when she was going to go out with him, having the nerve to ask me to help her get ready..."   
Sierra was now shaking, not much, but it was still visible. Her voice more profound, as if she was reliving it all again.

"She asked me to get her the hair iron...I got it but grabbed a knife too, I just wanted to make her shut up...scare her into not going, but something...something washed over me! So I stabbed her, then burned her hands when she tried to grab onto me, her grip...it was disgusting..." 

"She wasn't going out with CJ!! It was a date with Robert!! You idiot! You should have actually communicated! Not just blindly assumed!!" Travis shouted; he was upset. He never really could control his anger (or other feelings) that well. Not that it mattered all too much right now.

Sierra looked shocked. Like everything just crumbled beneath her, like it was all a lie. She killed for no reason; she felt so dumb and scared. 

In the blink of an eye, the brunette grabbed hold of the knife again, starting to lunge at CJ, thinking about making him a hostage of some sort. She thought it would get them to let her runoff, as long as it was for saving a life. She even knew if that happened, she'd be followed by the police, but she didn't care. Just anything to get her out of the heart-aching situation sounded fine. 

But oh, how her plan foiled, Sal reacted quickly, tackling Sierra against a wall seconds before she could get to CJ; thankfully, Travis was able to pull the other blonde away as well, so that was very helpful. If he hadn't done that, god knows what would have happened to Sal and CJ. He immediately took CJ outside; he had already gotten an Ambulance on the way and some backup. Just in case.

Though Sal did get cut (more deeply than he anticipated) on his right side, he ignored it and was able to take the knife away, placing her hands behind her back. 

"Sierra Hall, You're under arrest for the murder of Azaria Deveraux and aggravated assault-" The bluenette began revising her Miranda Rights as he placed handcuffs on her.

Once he was done, Travis came to get her, letting Sal get bandaged up by the amazing medical team. 

Of course, after Sierra was getting taken to the jail, Travis checked up on Sal, jogging over to the short male, concern on his face.

"I've asked this...way too many times today...but are you okay?"

Sal chuckled softly. It already hurt to laugh. He was awkwardly holding his shirt up for the medic as she fixed him up.

"I'm fine just...tired, and you know, kind of in pain-" 

Travis laughed slightly. It was a good thing that Sal was rather tuff when he got hurt. If he wasn't, Travis was sure he'd probably drown in worry for the sleep-deprived blueberry.

"Well, that's better than feeling shitty- .. I'm driving you home, by the way."

The bluenette gave a thankful nod to the medic once she was done and stood up, letting his shirt fall comfortably down. "You better, because there's no way I'm walking home."

Travis cracked a smile, ushering Sally closer to him so he could walk a little easier.

The blue-headed detective leaned his head on Travis, just barely brushing the top of the taller detective's shoulder. 

That night (morning really), Travis saw Sal's house for the first time; it was kind of small, white with a dark grey roof, and had a tiny porch with dark wood railing. 

He watched as Sal slowly made his way up the small set of stairs and unlocked the door. They waved to each other before completely parting ways for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its time for Sal's weekly therapy!! :D

Over a week had passed since Sal's last murder investigation. He was currently home, sitting in his living room, cuddled up in a soft plush blue blanket on his phone. He was talking to his therapist, who also happened to be his friend and his best friend's girlfriend. Her name was Ashley. ( Aka Ash)  
She had dark brown hair, which she kept up in a bun most of the time, with a few strands of hair hanging out from the side; she had beautiful bright emerald eyes and was just a few inches taller than Sal was.  
She was very kind and understanding but could also be very stubborn and straightforward.

Right now, she and Sal were talking about his confidence, mask, and face.

"Okay, so, you're more mentally and emotionally comfortable with your mask on...but more psychically comfortable with it off, right?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

There was the sound of a pen scribbling down on a paper; Ash was taking notes.  
"And you want to be more comfortable with it off, especially more around people, correct? "

"Right again.."

"Well then, answer me this first! How often do you take it off? How long does it stay off?"  
Sal leaned back against the arm of the couch, thinking for a minute.

"Well, uhh, I have it off now, but thats for therapy reasons...other than that, I take it off when I shower, so thats about, maybe half an hour? Then after that, I normally let my skin heal or readjust to everything, so another half hour, maybe an hour--" The bluenette paused for a moment, tugging at a strand of his hair.

"anything besides that?" Ashley asked, a touch of curiosity and some concern in her voice.  
"When I eat? If that even counts, I just lift it a little...and when I go to sleep but I usually don't sleep much sooo, by guessing on a daily average, for when I come home from work...three, four hours?"  
There was a small sigh from the other line. "Well, it's better than never..." Ashley cleared her throat. "I have an idea!"

"Lay it on me!" Sal said, taking a sip of his tea.  
"Maybe, you can start giving yourself more room to open up?"

"...could you elaborate?"

"Of course! What I'm meaning is that you should maybe try to start just not wearing your mask? Like just at home! Since no one else lives with you!"

"Pshwa, okay, just leave Gizmo out. That's fine."

Ash giggled a little bit. "I mean besides for Gizmo. I would never leave him out on purpose, I promise."  
That made Sal smile, a small toothy smile. "Hehee- good! Thank you!"  
"You're welcome..." She clicked her pen. "Now, think you can try that?"  
The bluenette fiddled with his mug's handle, flicking it a few times before answering.  
"I can try it, yeah..."  
"That's great; I'm already so proud of you, Sally!"  
"Heh- thanks, Ash..."  
"You are so welcome!..anyhow, last time we spoke, you said that you were dealing with some...certain feelings. Did you figure out where they're coming from?"

Sal tensed up a bit at the question; he has spaced that out but kept it very close in mind at the same time.  
"...Kind of? I get them when I'm working...I got them when I was with Travis...in a McDonald's parking lot-"

"Oh? What happened in the parking lot?"  
"Nothing really, we just took a break from the case...got a snack and talked. Then I fell asleep..."  
That piqued Ashley's interest.

"Really now? How long did you sleep for?"  
"I dont know, a few hours, I think?"  
"Sal!! Thats wonderful!!"  
"Yeeeah! But-"  
"Oh, no."  
"I had that dream again..."  
"The one about your parents?"  
Sal sighed, pulling a few strands of his hair out. "Yeah...the one about my parents.."  
"Was it as bad as the last time?"  
"No, it was more...subtle, I guess? I only cried a little bit too.."  
"well, that's great compared to last time, so something must have helped."  
Sal began tapping his mug again.   
"It was probably the hot cocoa; say what you want about Mcdonalds, but that cocoa can knock you out if you need it to-"

Ashley sighed, chuckling in slight pity. "Sal..."

"What? Did I say something dumb?"

The detective was confused, still gently tapping on his mug.  
"I don't think it's the cocoa.."  
Sal furrowed his eyebrows together.  
"Then what the hell helped?? I don't understand."  
"I think it was the company of someone else, someone you trust."

The bluenette paused.  
"...So, Travis?? Do you think that he's what helped me sleep? And that he made my nightmare less terrifying?"

Ash nodded to herself. "Yep! I mean, you can let your guard down a bit with him, right?"

"A pretty good amount down, actually...oooh shit, wait. We talked about this; I don't want iiiit."  
"Sal-"

"Nooo!!!"

"I think-"

"Don't use the word!!! You know I hate iiiiit!!"

"I have to use it..."

Ash cleared her throat before beginning to speak again; she couldn't help but let a small smile creep at the sides of her mouth. She was proud of Sal, especially for recognizing his feelings/emotions and where they came from, mainly since he used to be very confused and boarded up with everything.

"Since you trust him, you're more- vulnerable around him."

There was a scratchy screech that came from Sal.  
Ash let a laugh escape her lips.   
"Sally!! It's okay to be vulnerable around more people!!"

Sal squished his hand against his cheek.

"Nooooo, it's not; three people are enough!!"

"But those three aren't your romantic interest!"

Sal felt his face heat up.  
"He's not my romantic interest!!"

"That's denial, Sal...you've liked him since you first got into the police department..." Ashley set her notes down, making a rattling sound that made Sal shift in his seat.  
"I know...but..."  
He looked into his mug, steam from the tea dampening his face some.  
"I'm hoping that if I tell myself, I don't like him, it will all go away..."

"and why do you want that to go away?"

"Because my stomach gets those damned butterflies, my mind kind of fogs up with him, AND then I get sad because I realize there's no way we could date or anything like that."

"Why's that?"

"One, I know he doesn't like me...cause who would. Two, I don't even think he's gay or anything like that..."  
Oof, that's got to hurt. Ashley winced a little. 

"Well! You can always ask, and if it doesn't work out, thats okay. But you can't keep denying your feelings because it's hurting you! And quite possibly him as well, because who knows! He might like you too, and not facing these feelings could hurt a potential relationship!"

That got Sal's hopes up and made him feel a little guilty.

"Okay, wait, wait, wait."

"Hm?"

"Do I have to CONFESS my feelings, or just come to terms with them?"

"You just have to come to terms. "

He bit his lip for a brief second. "I think I can do that too."

Ashley made a proud squealing sound.

"That's great, Sal!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"I mean that!"

"Mmmm, anyway- are we done yet?"

"We have one minute left, but we can use that to close up our session. So remember, try slowly, letting yourself be freer without your mask, and start excepting your feelings with the techniques we've been working on!"

"Yep, got it!"

"You're going to do great!"

"Thank you!"

"Mhm! --- Okay, minute over. I'm your friend now."

The bluenette smiled, just k n o w i n g, what was coming. 

"And what has my friend, not therapist, been wanting to tell me?"

Ashley took a breath before yelling.

" GET YOUR HUNK OF MAN GOD DAMN IT!! YOU DUMBASS!!! I say this with love."

Sal snorted and then laughed. "ACK! Okay okay! No need to be aggressive. I get the point!!"

"Good."

The brunette remembered something (only because Larry himself peeked in the room she was in)

"Ohhh!! I forgot something!"

"What?"

"It's your guy's night thing today; the second Larry came home, he started talking about it, and he wanted me to remind you."

Sal rolled his eye. "Why couldn't he tell me himself."

"Because he's a baby and can't do anything by himself-. Now you've got half an hour to get over here; Chug and Todd are already on their way, I believe. And Neil might be with them too!!"

"That's not enough time!! "

"Welp, too bad! And at least you have more time than when it's time to hang out with Maple and I. "

"That's your guy's fault for always being two hours ahead!"  
"Slacker."

"Cheater."  
The two laughed, ending up muffling themselves.

"I'll start getting ready...bye Ash."

"Bye, Sally!"

And with that, they hung up, and Sal began to get ready for Guy's Night.  
It was something that happened once, sometimes twice a month. It was always a nice break from work for everyone.


End file.
